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Quello della fantascienza e delle distopie è un vastissimo universo narrativo (comprensivo di opere cinematografiche e serie televisive) in cui il confronto con temi e problemi di giustizia appare particolarmente serrato, malgrado la frequente sottovalutazione di questo filone legata all’etichetta di genere e alla proliferazione di prodotti commerciali. Eppure, in un mondo in cui la sempre più rapida evoluzione tecnologica rende attuali, e anzi impellenti, questioni etiche, filosofiche e sociopolitiche un momento prima apparentemente remote e ‘futuribili’, confrontarsi con gli scenari immaginati dai grandi autori di fantascienza diventa ineludibile, per il giurista come per il cittadino. La fantascienza di qualità letteraria, presa in considerazione dai saggi qui raccolti, presenta anzi al lettore o spettatore un’incredibile varietà di conflitti, questioni giuridiche e dilemmi morali, in superficie legati a specifici sviluppi tecnologici, reali o immaginifici, ma assai spesso, a un’analisi più approfondita, di portata universale. Nel trasportare il lettore «oltre i confini della realtà» attuale, l’analisi della letteratura fantascientifica compiuta dagli autori del presente volume finisce quindi per incoraggiarlo a spingersi «dove nessuno è mai giunto prima» nell’esplorazione della vera «ultima frontiera» adombrata dalla metafora dello spazio intergalattico: le profondità dell’umano e, «in uno specchio oscuro», del disumano., Science fiction and dystopian narratives often address, in different ways and through different media, deep and complex issues of (in)justice, and thus a wide range of different legal as well as ethical problems, questions, and dilemmas. Science fiction thus offers a fertile (albeit oft neglected) ground for Law & Literature studies, even more nowadays, when ever faster scientific and technological change and evolution keeps confronting humankind with new legal and ethical challenges. The essays collected in this volume explore how science fiction can help critically reflect on such issues and, even more, on universal and everlasting questions of justice and injustice relating to the deepest abysses of human nature.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess diagnostic accuracy and reliability of narrow band imaging (NBI) in the differential diagnosis of laryngeal premalignant lesion, early cancers and recurrences.MATERIAL AND METHODS: We enrolled 231 patients who underwent endoscopic examination with white light endoscopy (WLE) + NBI and divided them into two groups, group A, without previous radiochemotherapy and group B, with previous radiochemotherapy. When indicated, we performed surgical biopsies to evaluate sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), accuracy and likelihood of endoscopic examination comparing WLE alone and WLE + NBI.RESULTS: A positive NBI lesion, compared with a negative NBI lesion, had a 29.68 (group A) and 13.96 (group B) times higher probability to be histologically positive (i.e., confirmed) compared with WLE alone improving the diagnostic accuracy. In group A, the NBI mode showed excellent sensitivity (95.0%), which was higher than WLE 2 mode (77.5%). However, the greatest differences were recorded regarding specificity (96.8% vs. 40.6%). In group B, both NBI alone and WLE + NBI mode showed a 94.1% specificity compared with WLE alone, which had a maximum specificity of 85.3%. The mode comparison between NBI and WLE in both groups showed a statistically significant difference, with p-values <0.0001.CONCLUSIONS: NBI represents a reliable technology in challenging situations, especially in the context of post-radiotherapy or post-surgical mucosal changes showing a high NPV. NBI could reduce the number of unnecessary biopsies related to increased microvascular anomaly revelation, which could help to identify early-stage lesions suitable for minimally invasive surgery and, consequently, decrease hospital admissions.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To analyze stapler benefits in salvage total laryngectomy in terms of surgical time, hospitalization length, oral feeding time, and occurrence of pharyngocutaneous fistula, and to evaluate risk factors for its onset. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. METHODS: One hundred fourteen patients affected by endolaryngeal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent salvage total laryngectomy following primary treatment failure were reviewed. We divided patients into two groups based on type of pharyngeal suture performed: mechanical suture with stapler (group A) and manual suture (group B). These two groups were compared for surgical time, start of oral feeding, hospitalization length, surgical margins and pharyngocutaneous fistula incidence considering its relationship with diabetes mellitus, nutritional status, primary treatment, and neck dissection. RESULTS: In group A and group B, oral feeding restarting time was 15 ± 9.33 versus 20.03 ± 13.81 days, hospitalization was 17.63 ± 10.08 versus 23.72 ± 14.29 days, and surgery lasted 268.39 ± 76.93 versus 294.26 ± 140.58 minutes, respectively (P < .05). Surgical margins resulted infiltrated in two patients (4.3%) in group A and 12 patients in group B (17.6%) (P = .03). Twenty-one patients (18.4%) presented with pharyngocutanoeus fistula. In group A and group B the incidence of fistula was 15.2% and 20.6%, respectively (P = .468). Fistula occurred in 7 of 18 diabetic patients (38.9%) and 14 of 96 (14.6%) nondiabetic patients (P = .015). Nineteen fistulas (90.5%) occurred in patients who had undergone previous radiation treatment (P = .013). CONCLUSIONS: Using a stapler shortened operative time and hospitalization, while also providing a faster restart of oral feeding. Moreover, mechanical pharyngeal suture seems to decrease fistula rate even though its prevention role in salvage laryngectomy should be confirmed by further studies.

In poche pagine introduttive, vengono tratteggiati i motivi di inaccettabilità della pena di morte, sia dal punto di vista di una teoria della giustizia, sia in rapporto alla prevenzione generale dei reati